Potential Dangers of a Detox Diet

The detox diet is a weight loss regimen wherein the person who wishes to lose several pounds is programmed to drink lots of liquid and eat lots of vegetables and fruits, all in lieu of solid foods. Because of its dramatic effects, this diet has become well-known in the field of weight loss.

Most people who have tried this course of therapy have reported significant changes in their body in just a few days. However, despite its popularity, some healthcare professionals have suggested that detox diet should be avoided, if possible.

Critics believe that detox therapy is a very extreme diet which may lead to serious side effects, if not properly performed. They say that the mechanics of the detox diet was not based on scientific facts, and at the most, they are called “junk science.”

Dietitians think that this diet offers a temporary change in an individual’s weight, but the effects will not last that long. Soon enough, those who have tried this diet will eventually go back to their normal way of eating, and their body weight will return back to original.

The detox diet is believed to be an answer to the fact that our body should be protected from toxins which may be harmful to our health. This belief is contradicted by some dietitians and medical practitioners.

Most of them think that the body is already equipped with internal systems that may protect itself from harmful toxins – these are the body’s liver, kidney and gastrointestinal tracts. They said that as long as these organs function well, there is really no need for a detox diet.

One thing that some opposing dietitians agree with the proponents of the detox diet is the idea that an individual should consume enough liquids and fruits and vegetables. Since a lot of people may have seem to have forgotten the importance of water and vegetables, the detox diet may be a way to remind them of the basics.

However, they remain unbelievers of this regimen because the diet is so restrictive that it becomes ineffective for long-standing use; and to add to this, they said that the result is only fleeting.

The effects of the diet may be seen even after a few days into the therapy; however the body will soon gain weight with just the same short amount of time. The short duration of the effects of the strict diet, as many professionals believe, may not be worth all the hardships.

Some people who have tried the detox diet have reported that the first few days of their first trial were tough like hell. They felt very irritable and they experienced severe headaches.

Perhaps, it was in their second or other succeeding attempts that they have experienced the euphoria that the diet lets the people feel. Dietitians explain this ecstatic feeling as the body’s coping mechanism against starvation.

People who oppose this diet contend that a healthy young woman or man may endure the harsh routine for quite some time. However, not everyone may be in a good condition to hold out to the diet. Some groups of people may go through unfavorable effects caused by such restrictive diet.

Very young children, weak teenagers, pregnant or breastfeeding mothers, the elders and those people who have heart ailments and other chronic conditions should refrain from this kind of diet. Their conditions leave them susceptible to intestinal and cardiac problems which may result from malnutrition.

In summary, most dietitians and healthcare providers believe that going through a detox diet is a tough decision that one must reflect on before really making it. A lot of things are to be considered, and the most important of these considerations is his health.

No one should risk putting his health into risk just to lose weight in the shortest possible time. Extreme diets, such as the detox diet, should be the last option for there are other healthier alternatives to choose from.